Amano Shrimp Question

[Mads]

I was wondering if one could establish a small and  simple saltwater aquarium for the salt water phase (say 1.025sq), or if the shrimp needs especially good water quality, hence that one need to have a saltwater tank with a well establish swamp?
 
Regards
Mads

 

[three-fingers]

The salt water doesn't have to be of exceptional quality with regards to nitrate or phosphate for the amano shrimp zoes (baby shrimp), but its critical ammonia and nitrite are at 0ppm. However the hard part is that it needs to be green with algae all the time!
 
Basically your not setting up a small marine tank, your setting up a small phytoplankton culture for the baby shrimp to grow in. The phytoplankton will clean the water and provide food for the shrimp, but you need to fertilise the phytoplankton.
 
You could just use commercial filter-feeder food for the baby shrimp instead of phytoplankton, but it would be MUCH harder to keep the water clean and you would get less shrimp surviving to adulthood .

 

[DerpPH]

Liquid foods doesnt have to be used. It will foul your water. Use green water culture you can buy online.it also doesnt have to be saltwater. It could be just medium brackish. So acclimating them for freshwater will be easier

 

[three-fingers]

it also doesnt have to be saltwater. It could be just medium brackish. So acclimating them for freshwater will be easier

That depends on the original locality of the Amano shrimp that your trying to breed, but generally, according to the literature online anyway, starting with full seawater salinity is your best bet.
 
It's also easier to culture marine algae at full salinity rather than brackish .
 
This site is a good read: http/caridina.japonica.online.fr/English/Elevage.htm

 

[DerpPH]

True. But it is quite cheaper to do brackish but hey! it your choice  So you better be prepared for a few failed attempts. Youve got a 1 out of 4 chance to breed them successfuly

 

[Mads]

Thanks guys. Sounds like quite a mission to breed amano shrimps, in regards to how cheap they are in the stores.... 
 
Seems that making the green water can be a bit trublesome and expensive. Do you think one could use Spirullina instead?
 
Heres a guide to grow spirulina:
http/www.akvariegoedning.dk/images/stories/billeder_til_artikler/Goer_det_selv/diy_spirulina/fremstildineegnespirulinaalgera4optimized.pdf
 
Regards

 

[three-fingers]

You could try, but I believe it would be just the same as using the dried stuff or filter feeder food - the spirulina needs a different salinity (I think its freshwater?) so you couldn't culture it like a marine phytoplankton in the zoe tank, and as soon as you fed them some it would start to die and any uneaten algae would pollute the water fast.
 
Basically if you kept up enough water changes you should get some surviving to adulthood, when you can transfer them straight to freshwater.  IMO though it's easier to raise the shrimp in the live algae culture because then water quality is taken care of for you.
 
Good luck however you try, I've tried a couple of times too but have failed so far, so just do what you can!

 

[DerpPH]

Spirulina is in fact a saltwater macroalgae. There are many types but the most common is the saltwater species. It will work better IMO

 

[three-fingers]

Spirulina is in fact NOT a saltwater macroalgae.   Where are you getting your info?

  Please research the information before you give your opinion, otherwise you are simply misleading people.
 
Spirulina is a single-celled cyanobacteria.  After a quick google to freshen my memory, it seems the main species can grow in varying different salinities, and there is specific freshwater species too.  What it does need is very high levels of carbonates and bicarbonates (very alkaline water), which would kill shrimp zoes.
 
The kit Mads linked to would not work and would be no better than feeding powdered spirulina.  The phytoplankton is cultured at about 1/3 strength seawater salinity and even if it wasn't, the algae wouldn't grow in the shrimp tank without its bi/carbonates.  So as soon as you added it to the shrimp tank, it would start to die and pollute the water the same as the dried stuff would, except more time-consuming and expensive!
 
Took me too long to find this navigating old posts, only to realise its actually quite easy to find through the species index

 .  But heres the old thread that inspired me to try breeding them too: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/132630-breeding-amano-shrimp/ .

 

[Mads]

Thanks for feedback, nice to discus these things before trying and failing unnecessarily